McClure has always left me cold. But that is an excellent interview. Great questions and richo found a nice balance between cliche and honesty.

Asked about game plan, richo said no wholesale changes, but philosophicaly more aggressive. Which gels with observations from track watchers.

I’m glad the club recognizes how unrealistic that 2021 finals series / season was and how impossible it is to replicate such a perfect dominance. It was a once in a lifetime performance we will never see again, and we need to stop trying to fall into the trap of wanting a repeat of it. 

lol @ Richo talking about the “websites” talking up JVR 😂
 

I think Chnadler gets underrated on this site as well, i think Koz will play more midfeild time this year and Chandler will step in as the pressure small forward (along with Spargo and Nibbler).

Im looking forward to seeing some games.

10 hours ago, binman said:

McClure has always left me cold. But that is an excellent interview. Great questions and richo found a nice balance between cliche and honesty.

Asked about game plan, richo said no wholesale changes, but philosophicaly more aggressive. Which gels with observations from track watchers.

I'm presuming 'aggressive', attached to 'philisophically', and AR's '...we had it taken away from us...(at times last year)' means in game style - i.e. moving the ball on more quickly, instinctively, to open (riskier?) areas of the field - not physical aggression. No mention the fall-offs were fitness-related - indeed he referred to 'getting the (work vs footy) balance right' in Jan/Feb.

He also settles the Gawn/Grundy question: rotation through the forward line but not as key scorers; rather, creating situations for scoring (e.g. 'engineered' stoppages?)

And JVR: 'keys' picked on 'form' and 'ready to go' and 'structure'. So not a Round 1 lock? Though he then refers to Saints and Tigers (and other) practices, evidently linking them - not just the 'real stuff' - to such decisions.

2 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

I’m glad the club recognizes how unrealistic that 2021 finals series / season was and how impossible it is to replicate such a perfect dominance. It was a once in a lifetime performance we will never see again, and we need to stop trying to fall into the trap of wanting a repeat of it. 

lol @ Richo talking about the “websites” talking up JVR 😂
 

Its hard to place that 2021 finals series historically. On the scoreboard we dominated, but we all know there were moments where things were on a knife edge, in the 3rd quarter of the GF and in r23.

But at the same time, it seems ALL premiers go through the same trials. Richmond and Hawthorn as well.  There really aren't any dominant seasons + finals campaigns in recent memory, unless we go back to the salary cap cheating days or maybe 2007 Geelong?

Leaving mental traps about trying to repeat the past aside, we can absolutely repeat the year we had in 2021 again. It wasn't a 'perfect' domination, and we have the capability to have a similar season + finals campaign again. Just like Rich & Haw proved during their era's, and Geelong, buoyed by their easy/dominant prelim/GF's last year, will be hungry to replicate and go back to back. Shudder 🤮

Edited January 25, 20232 yr by John Demonic

1 hour ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I'm presuming 'aggressive', attached to 'philisophically', and AR's '...we had it taken away from us...(at times last year)' means in game style - i.e. moving the ball on more quickly, instinctively, to open (riskier?) areas of the field - not physical aggression.

I hope it is also physical aggression because teams like the Swans went hard at us and they won.  In the GF the cats sat the Swans on their [censored] in the opening minutes.  Dees need to do the same.

6 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

 No mention the fall-offs were fitness-related - indeed he referred to 'getting the (work vs footy) balance right' in Jan/Feb.

The players were fitter than they had ever been according to club stats. Last year was not a fitness issue

The problem stems from them working really hard in pre-season to perform at home. They basically didn't have a break over the summer and never switched off. They were super keen and worked extremely hard over the summer. But they totally cooked mentally half way through the year.

Hence the allusion to 'work vs footy balance' in Jan / Feb

31 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

The players were fitter than they had ever been according to club stats. Last year was not a fitness issue

The problem stems from them working really hard in pre-season to perform at home. They basically didn't have a break over the summer and never switched off. They were super keen and worked extremely hard over the summer. But they totally cooked mentally half way through the year.

Hence the allusion to 'work vs footy balance' in Jan / Feb

 

31 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

The players were fitter than they had ever been according to club stats. Last year was not a fitness issue

The problem stems from them working really hard in pre-season to perform at home. They basically didn't have a break over the summer and never switched off. They were super keen and worked extremely hard over the summer. But they totally cooked mentally half way through the year.

Hence the allusion to 'work vs footy balance' in Jan / Feb

Good analysis in my opinion.I also think injuries counted as well.Lever, May-and his suspension, T.Mac, Gawn,Oliver,  Petracca, Salem ,Hibberd,B.Brown all contributed to the injury issue during the year whilst I think we failed to play Bedford, Chandler more when ANB & Spargo we’re down on form..

7 hours ago, John Demonic said:

Its hard to place that 2021 finals series historically. On the scoreboard we dominated, but we all know there were moments where things were on a knife edge, in the 3rd quarter of the GF and in r23.

But at the same time, it seems ALL premiers go through the same trials. Richmond and Hawthorn as well.  There really aren't any dominant seasons + finals campaigns in recent memory, unless we go back to the salary cap cheating days or maybe 2007 Geelong?

Leaving mental traps about trying to repeat the past aside, we can absolutely repeat the year we had in 2021 again. It wasn't a 'perfect' domination, and we have the capability to have a similar season + finals campaign again. Just like Rich & Haw proved during their era's, and Geelong, buoyed by their easy/dominant prelim/GF's last year, will be hungry to replicate and go back to back. Shudder 🤮

Since the VFL became the AFL in 1990, I’d argue we’ve had the  second most dominant finals series to date behind Essendon of 2000.

Essendon had an aggregate margin of 230 points and never looked in any doubt    at any point of that finals series, while we had an aggregate margin of 190 points with just a slight scare in the middle 2 quarters of the GF before dominating.

Whilst Geelong’s 2007 side had an aggregate margin of 230 like Essendon (2000), they had an almighty scare against Collingwood in that years prelim and fell over the line by 5 points.

My top 5 dominant finals series since 1990:

Essendon (2000)

Melbourne (2021)

Geelong (2007)

Richmond (2019)

Hawthorn (2008)

Edited January 26, 20232 yr by Bring-Back-Powell

4 hours ago, jayceebee31 said:

Good analysis in my opinion.I also think injuries counted as well

Yes. Also (posted this elsewhere), the difference in what we'd come from is stark. In 2021 we'd come off 2020 where we only played 17 reduced-time games. In 2022 we were coming off the 2021 season where we'd played 25 games, many at high intensity.

In '22 we got too careful with our ball movement. Having no Tommy and a barely mobile Brown led to us being static and unimaginative up forward. Defenders were comfortable instead of panicked.  If I can see these things then our coaching panel certainly can. GO DEMONS!

On 1/26/2023 at 9:53 AM, Cheap Seats said:

I think Chnadler gets underrated on this site as well, i think Koz will play more midfeild time this year and Chandler will step in as the pressure small forward (along with Spargo and Nibbler).

Im looking forward to seeing some games.

If Chandler isnt picked in the One's 22, I think his head will explode. Tried his heart out last year.

1 hour ago, Bystander said:

If Chandler isnt picked in the One's 22, I think his head will explode. Tried his heart out last year.

I hope he gets a crack, has a bit of X factor about him.

Will also give Howes and a few others some time to develop.

Nothing wrong with competition for spots but like you said if booked don't get a go theyll likely be elsewhere next year.

Alarm bells started ring inside my head as soon as i started seeing videos of players going at full tilt training 2 weeks after the GF had taken place.

Absolutely no down time after the GF to let their bodies and minds relax and unwind after what they had achieved. Players weren't able to go away overseas or interstate due to boarder restrictions to unwind.

Completely different to this years preparation in terms of down time as players were able to go on a holiday as the world had opened up again.

Love Richo gives just enough to hold your interest, they obviously understand where and why we fell down in the finals last year,  liked the way he hosed down expectations on JVR whilst pumping him up for future. Maybe someone there reads Demonland.!!

On 1/26/2023 at 9:53 AM, Cheap Seats said:

I think Chnadler gets underrated on this site as well, i think Koz will play more midfeild time this year and Chandler will step in as the pressure small forward (along with Spargo and Nibbler).

Im looking forward to seeing some games.

Chandler looked promising  in a 2021 pre season game against Richmond at Casey kicking 3 goals as a genuine small forward including a clever goal on the boundary. I know it was only a practice match but you don't accidently play well against a mostly full strength side featuring Dustin Martin.

He just hasn't been afforded the opportunity at AFL level, and the rare chances he's had, he's only played a  20 minute game coming on as a sub over the last couple of years (although he did have that 4 possession "full" game against Carlton in 2021 which wasn't great).

Hopefully for his sake, he gets at least 11 games this year for someone that's been on the list for 5 seasons.

 

 

5 hours ago, Bystander said:

If Chandler isnt picked in the One's 22, I think his head will explode. Tried his heart out last year.

Yes he did try his heart out, particularly in Casey's GF win where i thought he was in our three best players. There were times last year when he must have thought "what more do I have to do to get a game ?".

Particularly frustrating when players like Melksham were getting games based on very average form in the 2's. It is important that

young emerging players like Chandler see some light at the end of the tunnel and be rewarded for good form at Casey otherwise

it sends the wrong message and can have a negative effect on the overall morale of the playing group. It would be great to see players like Chandler, Howes, Disco and Van Rooyen make the transition to senior footy this coming season. 

Hearing him talk again, I'm so glad we picked up Richo for our coaching/administration team.

I don't have any huge evidence to go by here, but from his experience and general demeanor, I imagine he's a great steadying influence around the club.  I think he'd be both a bit of a counterbalance to Choco's exuberance, but also one with the wisdom and respect to influence Goody when the time and place is right.

His well chosen words Re JVR are a case in point.  Gives him the confidence that the club has faith in his ability to develop his game for the long term at the same time as tempering and toning down expectations of him being a fowardline saviour in the short term to take some of the heat off him.

Edited January 28, 20232 yr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

On 1/26/2023 at 4:19 PM, jnrmac said:

The players were fitter than they had ever been according to club stats. Last year was not a fitness issue

The problem stems from them working really hard in pre-season to perform at home. They basically didn't have a break over the summer and never switched off. They were super keen and worked extremely hard over the summer. But they totally cooked mentally half way through the year.

Hence the allusion to 'work vs footy balance' in Jan / Feb

I reckon it's a fatigue build up as well. a lot of the players are still so young and then to suddenly go into a full finals campaign including a grand final, and have to back that up is physically demanding. 

when coaches talk about players really needing 80-100 games imo what they're referring to is the need for 4-5 solid pre seasons to be able to stand up to the week in, week out nature of footy. in hindsight, as wonderful as it is, we probably did need to rest/rotate the players a little bit more. 

Great interview, I think we're playing this well from a PR point of view. 

The common denominator is pressure, it's the secret sauce and we need to make sure we keep consistent levels of forward pressure up. Ball movement does need altering but no. 1 is pressure.